The unedited jottings of a novelist

Month: September 2009

Post navigation

After something of a wait, the rocket parts have arrived from the States. They were held up at Heathrow customs for 2 days, but hey! they do look exactly like the sort of thing you shouldn’t be importing.

I drove to Canterbury to collect them. I carefully put my camcorder out ready to capture this historic and much thought about moment, but promptly left it at home, so the moment has been lost to history.

In fact the moment wasn’t a particularly exciting, despite the long build up – I was given two cardboard boxes and after a brief handshake with the boss of The Rocket Store was driving away 2 minutes later.

The really exciting stuff starts tomorrow, when the I start to put the rocket together. My Dad is going to help as he has a superb workshop, and I WILL be taking my camcorder this time. Video to follow shortly.

With Frankfurt Book Fair approaching, I’ve been putting together a website to help sell The Great Space Race to overseas publishers and the film industry.

My old friend Simon has come to the rescue and is creating a full CGI movie of the rocket launch sequence… as soon as it’s done I’ll put a link to it here. It looks fanatastic already.

I’ve been writing the music to go with it. This involved a raid on my parents’ house to unearth various pieces of musical kit – my bass guitar, and a Fender Stratocaster (thanks Dad!). You’ve got to have the right tools for the job, and there are few better tools than a vintage Strat. I recorded my brother playing his very lovely Gretch drum kit, and I think I’ve got a cracking tune together. Rock’n’Roll!

I’m in what is without doubt one of the toughest couple of months workwise that I can remember since the build up to selling Red Jericho (hence the blog suffering a little). Hideous hours and what feels like slow progress. If the days were twice as long I’d feel I was getting somewhere!

I’m about a quarter of the way through Space Race illustration, and hope to crack the halfway point within the next two weeks.

All looking good though, and I know most of the work will be done in a couple of months (with luck).